the tracy body needs a little love on the molded in gas tank, so i removed the body work and put the stock tank on, i gotta see how it runs.

got up this morning, aired up the tires,threw in a fresh battery and some gas decided i have to ride it. screw the root beer colored brake fluid and tires hard as a wedding night dick.
started up easy, no funny noises. headlight, tail light, brake light, gauges all worked. has a baffle in place so not to loud. good thing since my jack off neighbor was outside and he's quick to call the heat on any of my bikes that he thinks exceed the acceptable decibel rating.
put on my helmet and gloves to add an air of legitimacy and took of down the street. gee, those bare subframe rails are a bit chilly on my arse.
couldn't of picked a worse time for the maiden voyage. yellow buses swarming the neighborhood picking up the grade schoolers. so i just chilled, made sure it stopped, shifted and didn't die until the little ones were clear.well it barked, spit, backfired and finally started settling down a bit (me thinks this bike has sat for a long time). no shakes or shimmys, shifted well (clutch must of been beefed up, the springs sure feel like it) gave it the gas for a few short bursts and its definitely a turbo bike with a functioning turbo. needs a little tuning, servicing, carb adjusting and an air filter but it sure is cool.

Just brought home a real barn find! Including cobwebs and dust. Has not seen the light of day for 7 or 8 years. The owner said it was running bad and started to leak gas out of the carbs. Looks like carb's are tops on the list after I get it apart - calipers are frozen too.

Anybody know of a site or forum that has good info on these bikes? I think I have my winter project for the cost of the trailer so far.

Looks to be completely stock except aftermarket horns - The PO said he never used them because the circuit breaker would trip when he did! Guess there is some electrical work to be done too!

Picked this 1979 GS850G cheap the other day. The bike sat for a while. The seller had it running earlier this year but one carb was leaking gas through the overflow so I imagine the needle(s?) is hanging up.
Odometer says 17k miles and the seller claims that's correct. You find quite a few low mile bikes in MT. since the riding season is short for some folks.
The bike looks pretty original. I found that the muffler hangers have been "home built" as is the rear tank mount under the seat. Other than that, all appears unmolested. Electrical all in one piece, all lights work, seat in good shape, tank interior clean, nothing missing that I can see. The tires appear fairly new. (Dunlops) One side cover is cracked / has the mounting "knob" broke off but I have the knob....should be able to repair.
I have it sitting under a cover for the time being. I'll be putting it in line with my other projects for when I get to to AZ. in the next few weeks.

I had a GS850L years back. Can't remember what year it was ( maybe a 1980?). It was a great bike and was heavy but very good on the road.
I see some GS850's have spoked wheels, some have painted fenders, some have different body work. They seem to have had a lot of changes, some within the same model year..... but maybe they were different model designations?

I'll post a few more photos after I get it cleaned up and in running order. I bought it to repair and "flip" but I have a tendancy to "fall in like" with some of my old projects. I'm looking forward to riding it.

Picked this 1979 GS850G cheap the other day. The bike sat for a while. The seller had it running earlier this year but one carb was leaking gas through the overflow so I imagine the needle(s?) is hanging up.
Odometer says 17k miles and the seller claims that's correct. You find quite a few low mile bikes in MT. since the riding season is short for some folks.
The bike looks pretty original. I found that the muffler hangers have been "home built" as is the rear tank mount under the seat. Other than that, all appears unmolested. Electrical all in one piece, all lights work, seat in good shape, tank interior clean, nothing missing that I can see. The tires appear fairly new. (Dunlops) One side cover is cracked / has the mounting "knob" broke off but I have the knob....should be able to repair.
I have it sitting under a cover for the time being. I'll be putting it in line with my other projects for when I get to to AZ. in the next few weeks.

I had a GS850L years back. Can't remember what year it was ( maybe a 1980?). It was a great bike and was heavy but very good on the road.
I see some GS850's have spoked wheels, some have painted fenders, some have different body work. They seem to have had a lot of changes, some within the same model year..... but maybe they were different model designations?

I'll post a few more photos after I get it cleaned up and in running order. I bought it to repair and "flip" but I have a tendancy to "fall in like" with some of my old projects. I'm looking forward to riding it.

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"Fall in like" I can relate.I should sell every thing I have moto related and buy one quality read to go bike.Instead,I spend more time wrenching than riding.

"Fall in like" I can relate.I should sell every thing I have moto related and buy one quality read to go bike.Instead,I spend more time wrenching than riding.

Click to expand...

I feel your pain......I'm in the same boat.....my BMW sidehack needs final drive / wheel splines.....My naked GL Goldwing needs a valve adjustment/ carb work ...I take on a derelict GS......and now I'm looking at a 1956 BMW junker......

Now that we're in AZ. I took a little time today and tore into this thing. Found that a fuse was corroded and caused electric starter / ignition not to work. Changed the fuse / cleaned connections. I gave it a tiny shot of either and she fired right up but didn't want to keep running. Pulled the carbs off and pulling each float bowl, found everything nice and clean. Finally figured out that one vacuum line was open, so therefore the vacuum operated petcock wasn't getting enough suction to allow fuel to pass.

Found a few jury rigged items during my inspection, some miss-matched fasteners, choke cable mount missing at carbs, the "pull" throttle cable in place but the "push" cable missing its' braided cable guts. Throttle still works though due to the large return spring.
Fired her up and ran it down the street. Damned thing is fast...and quiet. Still has some vacuuum leak issues going on at the intake boots where the carbs attach. I'll have her purring in the next few days if all goes right.